Joe Keeley, Counsel, House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property

Amy Levine, Legislative Counsel, Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.)

The 109th Congress brought us legislation on orphan works, statutory reforms of both Sections 114 and 115 of the Copyright Act, an audio flag, a proposed solution to the analog hole, and more. Legislation drew the interest of various industries including content, consumer electronics, broadcasters, digital media providers, Internet service providers, music publishers, and coalitions of performing artists and songwriters. It remained possible that one or more pieces of the copyright legislation would become law during the lame-duck session of Congress, but it was very likely that copyright legislation not addressed in 2006 would be queued up for quick consideration in the spring of 2007 with the new Congress.

What would be Capitol Hill’s priorities regarding copyright legislation next year? What impact would a change in party leadership in the House and/or Senate mean for such legislation? What were the most pressing aspects of copyright law that needed to be addressed? These topics were debated by an all-star panel of senior Hill staff at The Progress & Freedom Foundation Congressional Seminar, “Copyright ‘Modernization’: What is the Agenda on Capitol Hill?”